About SJIWFF

The St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival (SJIWFF) is one of the longest running women’s film festivals in the world.

Established in 1989 to support and promote women filmmakers, the SJIWFF produces several screenings, workshops and other events throughout the year, culminating in a five-day annual film festival held in October in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. These dynamic events attract over 4,500 participants. Every year the Festival receives over 400 film submissions and from those we present a powerful program of international documentaries, short films and feature works.

Festival week also features the [Interactive] Film Industry Forum, consisting of panels, workshops and face-to-face meetings for filmmakers, producers, and interactive creators. The Forum focuses on the business of filmmaking while the Festival celebrates international works by women.

Our Mandate

Increase the exposure of new works written and / or directed by women.

Showcase the province to the Canadian and international film industry.

Increase the national and international profile of St. John’s and the province as a vibrant cultural site and place to do business.

Deliver programs to help develop the next generation of filmmakers.

Offer outreach programs, aimed at supporting local emerging filmmakers and growing local film audiences.

Facilitate interaction among filmmakers and between filmmakers and their audiences.

Support the development of the local film community through promotion, exhibition, market access, professional development and training opportunities and grants.

Mission

Our mission is to increase the awareness of women’s contributions to the film, television and interactive industries, and to provide integral services to these local industries. This includes training young and emerging filmmakers, as well as providing professional development opportunities to our more senior filmmakers, producers and creators. We aim to entertain audiences with a wide variety of engaging, thought-provoking, multi-genre films from here and from around the world, and to showcase St. John’s and the province of Newfoundland and Labrador on an international stage.

Recognition

Locally, we’ve been recognized by readers of The Overcast, St. John’s cultural newspaper, in it’s annual Best of St. John’s awards. The St. John's International Women's Film Festival has won Most Valuable Player in the Local Film and Television Industry (2015-2017) as well as Best Local Arts Event (2017).

Recent national support includes the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival receiving national recognition from Telefilm Canada in 2016 for our work toward gender parity. In addition, Women in Film and Television Vancouver awarded us with the Please Adjust Your Set Award in 2014 for our outstanding leadership in the Canadian movement for gender diversity in the film industry.

Testimonials

Sonja Steyn, International Filmmaker (Australia)"I decided to attend the festival because having my film selected is a game changer for me. It opens doors to funding possibilities now that I have directed a film that has been accepted to an international film festival."

Carol Whiteman, President & CEOWomen in the Director’s Chair"The SJIWFF is a vital institution not just in Atlantic Canada, but nationally and internationally."

Carolyn Saunders, Filmmaker"I just wanted to say thank you very much for running such a wonderful festival and for making me, as a filmmaker, feel wanted and welcome and important."

Karen Bruce, Director of MembershipAcademy of Canadian Cinema & Television"This festival is doing so many great things for our industry and I'm super stoked to be a part of it."

Morghan Fortier, Executive ProducerTinman Creative Studios & Skyship Entertainment"The St. John’s International Women’s Festival is one of the best festivals I have ever attended. Informative, engaging, and relevant, the panels I attended were illuminating, and the screening sessions were entertaining, showcasing strong, inspiring, top-notch films."

Made By Women,For Everyone.

SJIWFF29 • OCT. 17-21, 2018

Only two more days to apply for the Career Advanced Module (CAM) at our festival in partnership with @widc.ca! Here is one of last years recipient @kerryinkahoots on the set of her RBC MJ award shoot Crush.
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The CAM offers a tailored leadership master class for up to four mid-career women filmmakers in each session. The program includes a Full Festival pass to the host festival, one to one meetings with CAM mentors and experts, a group wrap up Exit Session on the final day of the Festival to debrief, confirm follow up goals and timeline for 3 monthly follow up “Career Goal” check-ins after the Festival. Find out more information at widc.ca

We had to #Repost this from @rmorrison #womeninfilm ・・・
There’s a common misconception that likens pregnancy to some kind of disability— the idea that women who are pregnant shouldn’t be active and can’t go about their normal lives... While no two pregnancies are the same, I just want to say that for many to most women this isn’t the case at all. I just wrapped a feature #againstallenemies at 8+ months pregnant. Now I’m on to a commercial and I plan to keep shooting for as long as anyone will hire me knowing in a few weeks I may have to replace myself if I go into labor on set... the point is I am NOT a superhero. I am just going about my life doing the thing that I love for as long as I can because the more I work before baby the longer I can take off after. Which should also be MY choice and no one else’s. Physically speaking I could have gone back to work within a week of having my son. At the time, I lost many jobs because people were nervous to hire me so soon after the birth but again I say this should be left up to us. Pregnancy and motherhood in general is not a disadvantage and the craft doesn’t suffer as a result. If anything the added experience and enhanced empathy has made me a better cinematographer and filmmaker. That’s all. Happy Friday! #femalefilmmakerfriday #shootfilm #cseries #panavisionofficial 📷 by @loganwhitephoto

Don't miss the final performances of OTHER WOMEN WALK, 10am & 2pm TODAY! The #SJIWFF team are taking a field trip to see the 2pm show if you want to say hi or join us!
Departing from the corner of Circular & Rennie's Mill roads in Bannerman Park. Tickets only $10 ($5 for children) - visit www.OtherWomenWalk.com to learn more. Directed by the multitalented @iamruthlawrence (who will be directing her first feature film next summer with @telefilm_canada’s #talenttowatch) #nlarts #otherwomenwalk #herstory #yyt #explorenl

New Director of Morale at the #SJIWFF office! #MadeByWomenForEveryone #SJIWFF29 #puppylove

We are very proud to announce that one of our FRAMED films will be premiering at @nsicanada online Film Festival on Tuesday August 7th! Our seven minute documentary katatjanik utippalianinga (The Return of Throat Singing) from FRAMED Nunatsiavut will be available for streaming off the NSI Website on Tuesday. Stay tuned for the link!

Thanks everyone for coming out last night to Reel Downtown! What a great night! Thanks again to @downtownst.johns for screening one of Festival shorts.

Hey movie lovers! Don't forget that this Monday Reel Downtown will be screening our last year's Festival short, Waste It, written and directed by Emily Bridger! Screening starts at 9pm so get down early for a good seat. Hope to see you all there!

PO Box 984, Station CSt. John’s, NLA1C 5M3

p 709-754-3141f 709-754-0049

info@womensfilmfestival.com

We respectfully acknowledge the territory in which we gather as the ancestral homelands of the Beothuk, and the island of Newfoundland as the ancestral homelands of the Mi’kmaq and Beothuk. We would also like to recognize the Inuit of Nunatsiavut and NunatuKavut and the Innu of Nitassinan, and their ancestors, as the original people of Labrador.